Yule tree recycling: Thank you very mulch

Once that glorious Christmas tree is stripped of its lights, tinsel and baubles, it's time to find a place for it.

Carson City is working again this year with Capital Sanitation/Waste Management to pick up Christmas trees and to offer several drop-off locations.

Ken Arnold, environmental manager for the city, said the program has operated successfully in Carson City since the mid- or early-'90s.

"It all goes into our wood waste section, and we hold onto some of it for our residents to use for mulching, but we don't give away commercial quantities," Arnold said.

Christmas trees can be placed curbside on regular trash collection days next week from Monday through Friday. After Jan. 6, people wishing to recycle their trees should take them to the landfill.

Trees picked up curbside after Jan. 6 will be disposed of as trash and must be cut up into 3-foot sections to fit into the Waste Management trucks.

Residents may also droff off their trees at any of the following locations from Monday through Friday of next week:

• JCPenney parking lot

• Northtown Plaza near Bully's

• Carson City Landfill

• Capital Sanitation, 5560 Sheep Drive

• Carson City Corporate Yard on Butti Way

Those who wish to recycle their trees should remove all decorations, lights, tinsel and bases which might contain metal. Flocked trees cannot be recycled.

Arnold said whoever gets the contract to chip the wood from the city hauls it off generally to biofuel plants.

He said the program is very successful, keeping nearly 28 1/2 tons of wood out of the city landfill, contributing to its longevity.

"That amount has been pretty stable over the last few years," he said.

For more information about Carson City's Christmas tree recycling program, call the Carson City Environmental Control Authority at 775-887-2355, Ext. 7390, 7380 or 7376.

A customer service representative from Waste Management said the company has no plans for pickup or recycling Christmas trees in Lyon County, and Dayton Regional Advisory Committee Chairman Ray Fiero said he was not aware of any other such efforts in Dayton.

Lyon residents are welcome to use Carson City's recycling drop-off locations.

Another option for recyclers who might be interested in taking a pleasant winter drive is the U.S. Forest Service's program. The Carson Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest is accepting Christmas trees for a restoration project in Hope Valley, Calif.

Drop-off times are from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m Jan. 6-8. Trees will be chipped on site and used as mulch to help restore plant growth in the meadow areas surrounding the drop-off parking lot at the junction of Highway 88 and Blue Lakes Road, which is in the overnight parking area at Hope Valley Sno-Park.

To get there, follow California Highway 88 for 9 miles west of Woodfords, turn left on Blue Lakes Road, and turn immediately left into the overnight parking area. The tree drop-off location is at the back of the lot.

For more information, call the Carson Ranger District at 775-882-2766.